Asking what other properties they own in the area is a good, non-confrontational way to vet them as a buyer.4.

The investor then has to confront the fact that they were scammed a bit (or a lot) and decide what to do.

Is it better to ignore these or give a more confrontational "no" as an answer?

@Tom BrickmanWhen I read the title I thought there was a face to face confrontation where the tenant actually stood toe to toe with with you and put up his Dukes.After reading your story I believe this is a misunderstanding that needs to be taken care of in a face to face conversation and not by text.A lot can be lost in translation in a text message. 

I had confronted the tenant and she denied there was smoking in the house.

Hard pass on the principle of it.Not to be confrontation here at all, but I want to ask you a question, no two questions:Does Grant Cardone offer coaching programs? 

I looked him up online and saw he has a "F" rating on one of those referral sites with a similar complaint (except according to reviewer he actually did do the work, just extremely unprofessionally and then got argumentative when confronted)

But for your benifit, you should be more professional, and not resort to personal attacks when confronted with conflicting points of view. 

The final stage of the Eviction Process means removing the tenant physically from the premises and this is truly a very sad and dangerous time.From the moment you turn that Notice to Quit over to the court house and file the Summons and Complaint, you NEVER EVER want to enter the rental unit or confront the tenant verbally or physically.The only way I communicate with my Tenant from this point forward (if I have to at all) is in writing!

My gut here says to confront them professionally, have them come clean and force them to either get rid of the excess animals or pay a higher rent (or be evicted).